Whumptober 2019 - 01 - Shaky Hands
by DinerGuy
Summary: 2018 reboot. He knew he could pick the lock; he'd done this before—even under pressure. Capability was not the problem. The problem was doing it under the current conditions.


_A/N: So a few weeks ago, frankiemcstein was all, "Hey, this Whumptober thing looks cool," and that was the end of my sanity. Prepare yourselves for 31 days of whumpfics._

_Standard disclaimers apply._

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His hands were shaking as he tried to fit the insanely small metal point into the handcuff lock. He knew he could pick the lock; he'd done this before—even under pressure. Capability was not the problem. The problem was doing it under the current conditions.

Magnum nearly dropped the nail as he shivered again. He couldn't remember having been so cold since he'd come to Hawaii. But he was _freezing._ He knew it was a bad sign, but at least he was still shivering… He knew it would be even worse whenever he suddenly stopped.

He allowed himself a moment to breathe, trying to steady his nerves even as he shuddered again. He really needed to concentrate and get the cuffs off before his captors came back. So far, he wasn't sure what they wanted, but he didn't particularly relish the idea of waiting around to find out.

The whole situation was an absolute mess anyway, being held prisoner aside. It had started mid-morning when HPD had shown up at Robin's Nest with a warrant for his arrest. Someone had framed him for the murder of the guy his most recent client had hired him to investigate. That was annoyingly inconvenient, seeing as how Magnum had surveillance photos and notes on the now-deceased man's schedule. And, although he'd only been researching for his case, it also made him look _really _guilty to just about everyone, on top of the fake evidence the police had, courtesy of whoever was framing him.

Of course, that was all a major pain, but Magnum had been confident the truth would eventually come out. So he'd asked Higgy to call Rick and T.C. and then cooperated when the officer had told him to put his hands behind his back and snapped a pair of cuffs on him—although he did wish it had been Katsumoto who had caught the case; at least when the other detective had taken him in for questioning, he hadn't insisted Magnum be restrained to be led to the cruiser.

Even then, Magnum hadn't been too worried. Sure, it was kind of embarrassing, but he'd just take a ride to the station, and that would be that. The problem had come as they were passing through a quiet intersection—in the form of a dark SUV that had careened through the opposing red light and slammed into the side of the cruiser. The occupants of the car had been thrown around against their seatbelts as the car had spun before coming to a halt, and Magnum's head had impacted the glass of the window on his right. And, even with his seatbelt, he'd felt his shoulder slam into the side of the car as well.

Both of the officers in the front had seemed to be unconscious, and Magnum himself was having trouble keeping his vision straight, but that was all he'd had time to notice before two masked men had wrenched the back door open. Magnum had weakly tried to fight back as he'd been hauled from the car, but then a jolt of electricity had hit him as a stun gun was pressed against his back, and he'd felt his legs go limp.

His assailants had dragged him over to their waiting SUV, thrown him in the back, and then peeled off down the street. The whole thing had taken less than a minute, and he'd only vaguely felt himself being dragged from the SUV whenever they got to their destination and then deposited in a cold, dim room. He'd barely been conscious, feeling the blood trickling down his face from his head wound and his surroundings fuzzy through his half-closed eyes. When they'd dumped him on the cold concrete floor, he hadn't been able to catch himself, and he'd heard more than felt the impact as he'd hit the ground.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed before he'd finally gathered enough strength to struggle to his feet, and it had taken several deep breaths for him to be able to keep himself upright.

And that was how he'd ended up huddled on the floor of a shadowy room, handcuffs from that morning still in place, and desperately trying to free himself. But he was having a really hard time focusing on fitting the tiny nail into the small hole of the lock, even if his hands hadn't been shaking as he tried.

He bit his lip and tried to block out the rest of his thoughts, knowing he had to succeed. The others would be looking for him, he was sure of it, not to mention Katsumoto and most of HPD. But whether he would be branded an escaped prisoner or considered a kidnapping victim, he wasn't really sure.

His whole body was shaking unstoppably now, not just his hands, and Magnum groaned in frustration as he felt the nail slip from his fingers. Now he'd have to try to find it again, and the room was so dark, he wasn't sure he'd be able to. It had been a stroke of luck he'd spotted it sticking out of the wall in the first place.

More shivers ran down his spine. He just needed to get warm, to stop the uncontrollable tremors… but he _couldn't._ He'd give anything to even _see_ the sun right then, but there were no windows in the room where he'd been left, and no daylight came through the crack underneath the door.

Magnum swallowed and tried to still his hands. He needed to find the nail, and then he could free himself and figure out a way out of the door. There was also the minor detail of how his vision was wobbling in and out, but he would just have to deal with that later. He had more important things to focus on currently.

He shifted and looked around searchingly, hoping he'd notice the glint of silver metal in the dim light—and, somehow, he actually spotted it. Turning around, he brushed his hand gently along the floor around him, feeling for the small piece of metal. He let out a breath of relief as his fingers closed around it. Shifting, he scooted back so his arms were against the wall, hoping the weight of him leaning back would help still his hands to be able to actually pick the lock this time.

It took what felt like an eternity, but he finally sighed in relief as he felt the cuffs click open. Quickly dropping them to the ground, Magnum pushed to his feet and rubbed his sore wrists, pausing as he wobbled uncertainly.

He was still shivering, harder now than even a moment before, and he knew he needed to get out before things could deteriorate any further. Thankfully, it seemed his captors hadn't put much stock in his becoming alert enough to free himself, because the door wasn't even locked. That was all the better for Magnum, though, because he hadn't been sure how he'd manage to get it open if it had been bolted.

As he stepped through the doorway, he stumbled slightly and had to grab the frame for support. Then he slowly started making his way through the dark passageway. He just hoped it was the right way out of the place.

Keeping watch for any sign that the other men were coming back, Magnum painstakingly limped down the hallway. His luck continued to hold, and he managed to find a side door just a few minutes later.

As he shouldered it open, he blinked against the sudden brightness of the light and nearly tripped over the doorjamb. He was still shivering as he slowly stepped out onto the short flight of cement stairs, but the sun seemed to give him a renewed sense of determination.

Taking a deep breath, he started toward one of the vehicles parked outside of the building. He just needed to hotwire the SUV and then find help, but it was going to be okay.

* * *

_Fin._


End file.
